Zl^.'^r] LEGENDS 689 



were going to visit, they were surprised to see the lights of a number 

 of fires. So they stopped and sat down on a log. Then one of the 

 men said: " We must leave our things, our weapons, here — our scalp- 

 ing-knives, our bows and arrows, and our battle-axes — and we must 

 remove the paint from our faces, too. There, on that side of the log, 

 you may lay your things, and you must cover them with moss and 

 earth very carefully ; and I will lay my things here on this side of 

 the log, and I will cover them even as you do." Thus they completed 

 this task of concealing their weapons. Then one of them said : " My 

 friend, it shall be that he who shall be spared alive shall dig up 

 these things, for we shall soon see them, and when they see us there 

 is no assurance that either of us shall be left alive; but should one 

 of'us escape then let him dig up and carry home both these buried 

 outfits." 



Then they went toward the place where they believed the enemies 

 lived. They had not gone far when they were surprised to see in 

 the distance a temporary shelter made of corn husks, for this was 

 at the time of the corn harvest and the people were drying the 

 strings of ears of corn. Thereupon one of the men said : " I will do 

 the talking when we arrive at that temporary shelter; so do you 

 not speak a work about anything. So now, come, let us go thither 

 to the lodge." 



When the two men had arrived near the temporary shelter the 

 children noticed their approach and fled into the shelter. On arriv- 

 ing at the shelter the two men found that the doorflap was of deer- 

 skin. When they had stepped inside they saw a woman sitting there; 

 they noticed also that the children had hidden them.selves, and that 

 the woman was greatly frightened, for the color of her face had 

 changed. One of the men at once said to her: " Do not fear us; we do 

 not come on an evil errand, and you may know this to be true because 

 we have not our scalping-knives, bows and arrows, or battle-axes, and 

 we have no paint on our faces. So do not be afraid. We have come 

 on a good errand: do not fear us." All at once the woman spoke, 

 saying : " Oh, children ; verily, they will not kill us." At this the 

 children came forth from their hiding places, and the mother, too, 

 regained her composure. The spokesman of the two visitors said, 

 " Are you and your children here alone?" The woman replied, " No; 

 our old man has gone yonder into the valley where in fact we dwell ; 

 he will soon return." Then the man said : " So let it be. We will 

 remain here until he returns." The woman answered : " Let it be so." 

 So when the old man had returned the spokesman of the two am- 

 bassadors said : " We come as messengers. Let us talk together in 

 peace. We are not thinking of evil purposes, and these, our peaceful 

 sentiments, are shown by the fact that neither of us has a scalping- 

 94615°— 16 44 



